SandStorms
by InebriatedMuse
Summary: A young Kage finds himself whisked away from his village and into a world so unlike his own. A world full of magic and other such things. How will this poor shinobi react to the school Hogwarts? Gaara. No pairings, yet.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Forgive me guys, but I simply had the urge to write a HP and Naruto XOver. Don't beat me with clubs! I Love you all and I will update my GaaHina stories. So Please bear with me. Oh and sorry for late updates I've been quite busy with dance and it's tennis season and I have to be in top shape. So thank You!**

**Gaara: Disclaimer. She owns nothing. All are respected properties of J.K. Rowling and Masashi Kishimoto. Except for the idea.*****Bows***

**Author: So the story takes place during the gang's fourth year and during Gaara's first year as Kage. He still hasn't lost Shunkaku in this fanfic so please bear with me. :)**

* * *

><p><strong>SandStorms<strong>

**Chapter 1 **

* * *

><p>Long slender fingers wrote endlessly. Red hair was tousled with every other paper signed and black rimmed teal eyes were glazed over. Red forelocks hung over a pale face and revealed a crimson tattoo of the kanji, 'Ai'. A pleased sigh resonated throughout the room as the quill was returned to its inkwell and the last paper finally signed and reviewed. A young woman with caramel hair and brown eyes tiptoed in.<p>

"Kazekage-sama?" she asked quietly. The redhead uttered a slight 'hn' signaling that she had his attention. He looked up slightly and gave his assistant a tired smile. The smile caused her to become flustered.

"I-I have more paperwork for y-you." She managed to speak while blushing furiously. The Kazekage groaned. For once in his life he wished he could somehow take on missions once more. Anything to get away from the constant mounds of paperwork. He nodded and she proceeded to place the paperwork onto his already full desk. She bowed and turned towards the door.

"Matsuri?" he asked quietly.

"Yes, Gaara-sama?" Matsuri turned slightly. Gaara shook his head.

"Never mind."

* * *

><p>The freezing harsh wind of the desert whipped Gaara's cloak into a frenzy. He walked silently through the dark streets of his beloved village. He closed his eyes slightly and let out a quiet sigh. The village was pretty much sound asleep except for some. Gaara enjoyed strolling through his village, knowing that they had entrusted their welfare to him. Him of all people. Never did he think that the people who once longed to be rid of his presence would suddenly entrust their general welfare to him, that he would be bequeathed the role of Kazekage of Sunagakure. Gaara smiled happily to himself. Naruto, his jovial blonde whiskered friend, had made it possible.<p>

_You dawdling fool…._hissed the tanuki that inhabited his mind. Gaara sighed morosely. _'What?'_

The tanuki chuckled. _While you were daydreaming about your friend, I caught the presence of unfamiliar chakra._

Gaara frowned and closed his eyes. True to his word, the tanuki was able to spot the presence of a foreign chakra near the outskirts of Suna. Gaara frowned. Not now. It was too late. He vanished in a swirl of sand particles.

* * *

><p>Gaara opened his eyes and found himself at the edge of the village. A few stray particles of sand lingered about and immediately returned to their fiery-haired master and the calabash gourd he had strapped onto his back. The dark had no effect on Gaara. The tanuki's characteristics have improved his eyesight and sharpened his other senses. The Kazekage surveyed the barren landscape, his nose wrinkling with frustration.<p>

_Do you feel it, you little brat? _Jeered Shunkaku. Gaara mentally punched the demon. The demon growled and bit back at his iron shackles. Gaara smirked inwardly as the beast struggled with the chains that bound him.

'_Fool, stop with the snide comments. Let me focus.'_ Berated Gaara. The tanuki growled but agreed.

_Whatever it is, I don't like it. _Remarked the tanuki. Gaara frowned. If his demon did not like it then the presence may be a force to be reckoned with. Gaara let his sand flow out, covering each inch of the barren area. A shadow flitted on the corner of Gaara's eyes and immediately he put himself on guard. However the shape yelled out some very strange words and Gaara found himself blinded by a strong flash of light. The tanuki screamed in anger and the Kage shielded himself from the bright light. The light flashed and as fast as it appeared, it was gone. Along with it the Kazekage of Sunagakure, Sabaku No Gaara.

* * *

><p>Gaara sat up, his head throbbed tremendously and so did his arms and legs. He reached up slowly and touched his temple gingerly. Sticky matter met the pads of his fingers. Gaara scowled and pulled his hand away to survey it. A sticky red substance was on his fingers. Gaara stared at it shocked. That <em>light<em> had actually hurt him. It had actually made him _bleed._ Gaara did bleed but only on the rarest occasions, when somebody was able to penetrate his Sand Armor. He stood up gingerly and immediately he keeled over. His eyesight blurred and blood rushed to his head. He growled in pain. Goodness, Sabaku No Gaara had never felt this much pain. Ever. He summoned forth his sand but found to his dismay, his sand damp and useless. His gourd, well what was left of it, lay in a damp pile. Gaara put his hand out and leaned against a tree. A tree? Gaara shot up and immediately regretted doing so. He cautiously surveyed his surroundings. He was in a leafy evergreen forest. It was damp and foggy. Weather that was unlike Konoha's and definitely Suna's. Maybe he was in Amewagakure. He frowned. That couldn't be. Amewagakure was in a state of perpetual rain. Gaara heard the noises of many children cheering and screaming. Despite the throbbing pain, Gaara followed the noises and found himself nearing the edge of a clearing. The sight that greeted him astounded him. A large castle loomed over the clearing and next to it a large lake where a ship was docked. He trudged through, his damp red cloak acting like dead weight. After a few yards of stumbling, Sabaku No Gaara fell on his knees. He heard a yell cut through the noise of the blood pounding through his head as he fell forward on his face. The pain reached a splitting point and Gaara, as hard as he tried not to, closed his eyes and embraced the dark abyss that invited him.

* * *

><p>Hagrid was in the midst of tying up the Beauxbaton's students' pegasi, when he saw the young man. He seemed to be limping out of the forest. His pale face was scrunched up in pain. Darkly rimmed teal eyes and a regal face structure was what Hagrid could make out through the mess of blood that trickled on his forehead and covered his hair. The young man was about 15 or 16; his attire seemed out of place. A maroon long-sleeved shirt that was zipped up his neck and gray vest was buckled around his lean body. His long legs were encased in black pants that had a buckle on his shin and thigh. He wore a cloak and sandals. Hagrid tied the whinnying pegasi and shouted at the young man. The young man fell on to his knees and thudded to the ground. Hagrid immediately rushed over to the fallen man. He leaned over and picked him up. The man was tall, lean and muscular. His limp form dangled from the gamekeeper's large arms. Hagrid made his way hurriedly to the castle.<p>

'Wait until Dumbledore sees this.' he thought to himself. Hagrid clutched the man tighter and jogged towards the castle gates.

**A/N: Soooooooo? Please lemme know what you think! PLease Read and Review!**

**Gaara: Please do. It'd be nice to know what you guys think or feel about my current predicament.**


	2. Chapter 2

SandStorms.

Chapter 2

_Gaara. Gaara. Gaara. Gaara. Gaara. _Gaara opened his eyes suddenly. The harsh whispers that resembled a hissing snake faded away. Panting slightly he made a move to sit up but found himself unable to due to the immense throbbing in his head. He touched his head gingerly and felt the cotton bandages beneath his fingertips. He winced as he pressed on it lightly. Gaara looked around the clean looking area. A few other beds were unused and some were surrounded by a white curtain.

"Oh', I see that you're awake now." Gaara's eyes flicked towards the direction of the voice. Striking blue eyes beneath half moon spectacles met darkly rimmed jade ones. The old man had snow white hair and a beard to match. Both seemed to touch the ground. He wore a set of periwinkle robes. Gaara took in the man's eccentric appearance. The words that had left his lips made no sense to him at all.

"Where am I?" Gaara asked. The man turned his head slightly unable to comprehend what Gaara said. He creased his eyebrows and then withdrew a stick from within his robes. He jabbed it through his beard and muttered another set of strange words.

"There we go, all better now. Are you able to understand me now, young man?" asked the elderly man. Gaara nodded feeling slightly relieved.

"Where am I?" Gaara voiced his question once more.

"You my boy are in Hogwarts." The old man smiled. Gaara looked at him blankly.

"In England?" Gaara gave him another blank stare. The old man scratched his chin.

"Oh how foolish of me! You are not from this world at all, are you? Judging from your inability to understand English at all." The older man mused. Gaara inclined his head.

"My name is Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, and I am the headmaster of this school, Hogwarts. You may refer to me as Professor Dumbledore." The old man said. Gaara nodded. "Might I ask what you're name is?"

Gaara cleared his unbearably dry throat. Albus handed him a glass of water from the bedside. Gaara thanked him and gulped down some water before he uttered in a low dark voice, "My name is Sabaku No Gaara. I am the Fifth Kazekage of Sunagakure or the village Hidden in the Sand in the Land of the Wind and the youngest child of the Fourth Kazekage of Sunagakure."

"So, Sabaku—"

"It's Gaara. Sabaku is my surname." Gaara cut in. Dumbledore raised an eyebrow but continued, "So Gaara, where is this Land of the Wind?"

"Next to the Land of Rain in the Hidden Continent." Gaara stated. Dumbledore looked at him steadily for a few minutes.

"I see. Then what is a 'kazekage'?" inquired the Professor. Gaara raised a nonexistent brow but began to speak.

"The Kazekage are the leaders of Sunagakure. There is only one and I am currently the Fifth, the Fourth being my father. They are feared and respected throughout the Shinobi world along with the Kages of the other four Hidden villages... The Kazekage tends to be the most renowned and most powerful shinobi in the village, having been chosen to serve as the Kage. Often times, family may come into play or the general popularity of the person."

Dumbledore nodded in understanding.

"I see, like a president or the prime minister…" Gaara gave him a look. Dumbledore smiled and said, "Never mind. So what then is a shinobi?"

"A ninja. We are the main military power for our villages. Our services come with a fee but we do fight for our villages." Dumbledore noted the hint of pride in Gaara's voice when he spoke his last sentence. Other than that brief streak of pride, the young man showed no other feeling.

"I know I might be getting a tad bit aggravating, but may I show something to you?" asked the headmaster kindly. Gaara nodded hesitantly. The headmaster beamed and drew from within his robes a jar. The jar was filled to the brim with sand. Gaara's eyes widened slightly and his hand twitched as he raised it slowly towards the jar. The jar's top popped off, much to Dumbledore's surprise, and the sand streamed out and towards the redhead lying on the bed. A small smile tugged at the corner of Gaara's lips as the familiar rough particles slid over his smooth pale skin.

"How are you doing that?" asked the professor quietly for the young man held no wand. Gaara looked at him, his teal eyes boring into the headmaster.

"I was born this way."

* * *

><p>Albus Dumbledore was facing quite a large predicament. Hogwarts was host to the Triwizard tournament and the preparations for the event along with the security ordeals were quite stressful. Now a lost young man turns up in the Forbidden Forest, him being covered in blood. Worst of all, the young man happens to be a deadly (having proven it to Albus in the Hospital Wing) high-ranking politician who came from a different world. Albus could count on Gaara to tell the truth for he had slipped Veritaserum in the boy's water before giving it to him. To keep an eye on him, Dumbledore had asked Gaara to attend Hogwarts. After some thinking, the boy reluctantly agreed. The young man had been discharged from the Hospital Wing and was now supposed to be in Diagon Alley accompanied by Hagrid to shop for his supplies. Dumbledore sensed something dangerous that lurked beneath the boy's cold and antisocial demeanor. Something that disturbed him. There had only been one other person that disturbed Dumbledore in a first meeting before Gaara, and that person was Tom Riddle. Dumbledore grimaced as he remembered the charming boy and the unspeakable horror he had become.<p>

* * *

><p>Gaara clambered out of the fireplace, coughing. Clad in 'muggle clothes' which consisted of a brown aviator jacket, a striped tee, pants called 'jeans', and a pair of dirty closed shoes called 'sneakers'. He looked up to see a giant of a man with a thick brown beard reaching a grubby hand out to him. Gaara shook his head slightly and stood up. He followed the gamekeeper, Hagrid, out into the middle of the street and looked around. Who in their right minds named a place, 'diagonally'? Gaara shook his head and followed the giant of a man to a shop. Gaara attempted to read the shop sign but could not make out the foreign characters. He followed Hagrid and peered around the shop with a bored expression. A woman came up to him and motioned for him to step on a stool, a jumble of words leaving her mouth that he could not comprehend. Gaara complied and stepped on it. She let out another jumble of words and pointed at his jacket. Gaara removed his jacket hesitantly, revealing pale, sinewy, muscular arms.<p>

"Ministry robes? What department do you report to?" the woman asked, hurriedly. Light teal eyes gazed at her, confused. Gaara shook his head motioning that he didn't understand. The woman turned towards the gamekeeper who stood in the store humming slightly. His dark brown eyes met hers and he jumped slightly.

"Oh yeah. He doesn't understan' what yer sayin'. A little foreigner he is." Chuckled Hagrid. The woman shot him a questioning look and then voiced her question once more.

"Eh? Oh yer askin' 'bout his robes? Well he's just a fift' yer and we still don't know his house." The woman looked at him curiously.

"He's still at Hogwarts?"

"Yes he is." Rumbled Hagrid. The woman raised an eyebrow and motioned for Gaara to hold his arms out. He held out his arms, forming a t shape with his body. The tee moved up to reveal an outline of a toned abdomen and the shrunken jeans moved up past his pale ankles. He watched the woman with interest as she put a robe over his head and began fixing the hems.

"How old is he?" the woman asked as she put a pin in the cloak to keep the hem in place.

"He's erm about fifteen yers old." Replied the gamekeeper, whilst scratching his beard thoughtfully. Gaara stood on the stool, still as a statue. The sand in his pocket itched to lash out at the woman touching him and it took every inch of self control not to let it out. The woman placed one final pin and then smiled. She removed the cloak from Gaara and motioned that it was okay for him to step off the stool. Gaara stepped off the stool and stood quietly next to the gamekeeper as the large man handed the woman a bunch of large coins.

"Your robes should be ready around the same time you finish shopping, so you can pick them up around that time." the woman called. Hagrid beamed and replied gruffly, "Yea' we'll be coming bye later. Thank you!"

The woman smiled and walked away towards the back room but stopped in front of its door.

"That young man sure had me fooled. He must be real popular amongst the females." Winked the woman. Hagrid laughed a booming laugh and nudged Gaara, nearly causing the confused redhead to fall. The woman laughed and walked into the room. Hagrid nudged the redhead again, causing him to stumble, as he urged Gaara out of the store.

Gaara stared at the giant man, confused, as they made their way outside into the sparsely crowded street. Hagrid looked at Gaara, his laughing eyes suddenly becoming worried.

"Cat got yer tongue? Ye barely said a word in there…" the gamekeeper searched Gaara's face worriedly. Gaara stared at him before replying.

"I could not understand her…. Dumbledore charmed you so that we may understand one another during the duration of this trip." Uttered the redhead. Hagrid groaned then reached his hands into his pockets. Gaara looked quietly at Hagrid who seemed to take up about half the street, as the giant of a man searched his pockets. After nearly ten minutes of rummaging through his pockets, Hagrid pulled out his hand and held out his fist to Gaara. He opened his hand (his hand was so large Gaara felt slightly threatened by it) to reveal two intertwining silver snakes with emerald eyes attached to a leather cord. The snakes twitched and coiled slightly. Gaara watched it move, fascinated. He reached for it but drew back his hand, a suspicious glint in his eye.

"Well go on. Take it. It's from Dumbledore. I reckon it's charmed to help you understand English… I just forgot to give it to you…" the giant remarked sheepishly. Gaara frowned but took it from Hagrid. He touched it lightly, and felt a slight jolt go through his hand from the contact. He reached around and tied the pendant on his neck. The cord was long enough so when tied it hung like a loose choker on Gaara's pale neck. Gaara frowned and tugged on it. Hagrid beamed and waved his hand, knocking over a young stringy witch. Her shopping items fell on the cobblestone path and she grumbled to herself. Gaara leaned down and lent her a hand. She grasped it still looking angrily at her items strewn on the floor. Gaara gave it back to her. She tucked a stray strand of dark black hair and looked back at him with pale blue eyes. Her pale complexion reddened and she hugged her stuff closer to herself. Gaara stepped back, slightly startled. It vexed him that this witch looked so much like the Konoha girl, Hinata Hyuuga. The young witch smiled up at him, all flustered.

"Hello." He greeted, flashing an unsure smile.

"T-thank you!" she squeaked before scurrying away.

"Wait—"he called. The girl paid him no heed but fled. Gaara turned around to face Hagrid. Hagrid looked at him expectantly.

"How'd it go?" asked Hagrid. Gaara's complexion darkened.

"Did I say something wrong? Did I curse her in your foul language?" demanded Gaara. Hagrid's eyebrows creased, until he started laughing.

"Sometimes, how people are gonna treat you depends on yer looks." Gaara frowned before asking, "Am I ugly?"

He reached up subconsciously and touched the scar on his forehead. The giant laughed even more before clapping him hard on the back.

"Nah… I think she might have taken a fancy to you." Winked the giant. Gaara rose what could have been a brow before Hagrid pointed at his list and said, "We should get the rest of yer shopping done. I've got me classes to teach and I ain't supposed to miss another day."

Gaara nodded and followed the giant along the cobblestone path.

* * *

><p>Gaara wrinkled his nose as he stepped out of the apothecary. It smelled like a mixture of Temari's cooking and Kankuro's unwashed sweaty clothes, except multiplied tenfold. The smell was a terrible combination of rotten cabbages and eggs, but the visit had to be made so that Gaara could obtain his 'Potions' supplies.<p>

"Well the last thing we need is yer wand…" rumbled Hagrid. Gaara nodded and followed Hagrid to a shop called, Ollivanders. The charmed pendant enabled Gaara to read the faded, peeling gold letters over the door. Gaara entered after Hagrid and then found himself face-to-face with a pale eyed elderly man with electric white hair. He looked Gaara up and down before rushing towards the back. Gaara looked around awkwardly and examined the narrow shop. Large shelves stacked with thousands of boxes lined the shop. The old man, presumably Ollivander, walked back with a small red velvet box.

"Hold out your wand arm. 12 inches, dragon heartstring core." Gaara looked at him strangely. Gaara was ambidextrous. Everything he did, he did with both hands. He could write with both hands. He thought about it then raised his right hand. The old man handed him a long wooden stick. Gaara grasped it and waved it. Nothing. Ollivander frowned and took the wand back. He eyed Gaara warily and went to the back again. He returned with another wand but nothing happened again. Frustrated, the process occurred many times and up to the point where the old man had asked if he was a 'squib'. After a trying hour, Ollivander returned with a weathered old black velvet box. He opened it and took out a light colored wand. Gaara jolted for his sand had begun to grow excited at the presence of the sand, his chakra bordering on overload. Shunkaku bristled. Gaara grasped the wand and sighed with relief. He felt tiny grains of sand that resembled his own embedded deep in the wood. Sand from Shunkaku. Cursed sand. His chakra flowed through the wand and caused a storm in the shop. Gaara smiled as he heard Shunkaku remark, '_You were chakra constipated…'_

'_Nice to hear from you again… I was starting to get hopeful that you were finally gone…" _Gaara replied to the tanuki, the storm building. The tanuki snarled and replied, _'Fool! Do not joke… whatever hexed you managed to stopper me in some blasted container.'_

Gaara frowned and returned his concentration back to the shop owner. Gaara stopped his chakra flow and handed the wand back to the owner.

"How much?" asked Hagrid. The old man shook his head and held up an old withered hand.

"Some believe that wand to be cursed. It's been here for a long while; I was unable to sell it. It's made with items not of this world. Have it." The old man smiled weakly. Gaara nodded and held the wand against him. Hagrid beamed and waved at Ollivander.

"So long, Ollivander." Rumbled Hagrid.

"Likewise to you, Rubeus Hagrid and—"He looked at Gaara questioningly.

"Sabaku No Gaara is my name. But it's just Gaara." The old man nodded as Gaara walked towards the door.

"Goodbye, Mr. Ollivander." Gaara inclined his head as he said this.

"The same to you, Gaara." Gaara exited the store and found himself in the street once more. Hagrid turned and smiled.

"All we need to do is pick up your robes from Madam Malkin's and then it's back to Hogwarts." Said Hagrid cheerily. Gaara nodded and tightened his grip on the wand in his hand.

"Yes…. To Hogwarts."

**A/N: Please read and review.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thanks for all who reviewed. Before this chapter I would like to clear up some things. The pendant is _not _the cause for Shunkaku's inability to communicate to Gaara in the beginning of chapter 2. Shunkaku stated that it was the curse that sent them to England that caused it. Another thing is the witch Gaara met in Diagon Alley. The witch reminded him of HInata due to how she looked and the way she reddened (which Hinata always does). That was for Pudding in Great Pain and GenoBeast.**

**To Trife: Lol. Pansy arse wizard... Yes he will be a wizard but he will definitely _not be a pansy _for I absolutely detest a pansy Gaara.**

**To Red blaze: Haaaappppppyyyyy (belated) birthdayyyyy, my dear reviewer! I do hope you have many more to come and I am honored to have saved you from boredom during your birthday. Think of this chapter as a belated birthday present.**

**Disclaimer: All are express properties of J.K. Rowling and Masashi Kishimoto. I own nothing except for a stuffed llama. **

* * *

><p><strong>SandStorms<strong>

**Chapter 3**

* * *

><p><em>Gaara. Gaara. Gaara. <em>Gaara growled lightly and pressed a finger to the side of his head. The hissing voice had started up again as soon as he entered the large castle. He now stood, clothed in the black robes of the school, in a large hall filled with many chattering students. Their bright and gleaming faces laughed and discussed; others snuck looks and stared at the redhead who stood on Dumbledore's right. Attempting to ignore the prying eyes of the students and the hissing of the voices in his ear, Gaara observed the ceiling of the hall. It showed the starry sky, the clouds shifting slightly. A small smile tugged on the corner of Gaara's lips as he watched the enchanted ceiling. He made a mental note to himself to ask the headmaster how the ceiling operated. Shunkaku growled slightly and remarked, _Boy, this place feels weird. I can feel the presence of whoever got us here. I don't know exactly who, but I can feel it. _

Gaara nodded and for once paid heed to the demon who resided within him. He trained his eyes at the students in the hall, investigating each and every child. A slight energy, almost like chakra, emanated from some of them, although it was only small amounts of it. The tanuki sneered at the meager amounts of 'chakra' the students had. Gaara rolled his eyes at the haughtiness of the one-tailed beast. He looked carefully at the other students who did not wear the black robes of 'Hogwash' (was it?). A group at one table wore light blue while another group wore deep blood red robes. The students dressed in blue looked young, beautiful, and oddly feminine, whilst the ones dressed in wine robes looked rugged, older, and absolutely savage. Gaara after a few minutes of observing returned the bulk of his attention to the elderly wizard who was still speaking (a quarter of Gaara's attention was focused on detecting any familiar or potentially hazardous chakra). An elderly, stern-faced witch had walked forwards carrying a stool and a wizened, leathery old hat. Gaara flinched slightly as he felt bits of chakra stem from the shriveled old hat.

"…his name is Sabaku No Gaara and he will be sorted like anyone of you into a house, _but _he will attend Hogwarts as a fifth year student. He, to the best of his ability, will attempt the O.W.L. Exams (a handful of students hissed as though they were in pain)." Dumbledore smiled and continued, "So I expect each and every one of you to treat him like any other student—"

"Look at what he's doing!" yelled a small child sitting at the front of his table, excitedly. His pudgy little finger pointed at the sand that shifted around Gaara's lean and angular-looking form. Gaara bored his eyes into the little boy's which caused the boy to lose his excited look. The students now regarded Gaara, wide-eyed. Their murmurs and chatter grew deafening as they glanced and pointed at Gaara's sand. Gaara sighed inwardly and raised his hand lightly to retract the sand back into a small, silver, bottomless canister that the headmaster had given him to contain his sand. The conversations grew even more boisterous at the sight of the sand being called into the redhead's pocket. Dumbledore frowned slightly before raising his hands.

"Silence!" his voice reverberated throughout the grand hall and caused each student to fall silent. He motioned for Gaara to walk to the stool and the redhead complied. He strode over to the stool, his black robes swishing about his drawn out legs. Shunkaku bristled and Gaara frowned as his gaze fell upon a man with one large blue eye and straggly hair. The man stared at him intently as Shunkaku growled uneasily within Gaara. The redhead faced the elderly witch who smiled sympathetically at him. Gaara returned the gesture before planting himself on the stool, his legs barely dangling and skimming the stone floor. The hat was barely perched upon Gaara's fiery crown when it gave a startling yell. Gaara flinched at the attempted contact of the hat with his subconscious. The witch, however, after putting her head near the hat placed it hesitantly on Gaara's head once more. The students focused intently on Gaara. The hat sat on his head before remarking, '_What a petty little trick you pulled.'_

Shunkaku growled, _It wasn't a trick. It was to scare you away, be glad I only released a little of my chakra._

Gaara frowned at the fact that this _hat_ was able to converse with the demon he struggled so hard to lock away. It only meant that his mental defense had been weakened since arriving in this blasted place. Gaara closed his eyes and sealed the demon's barrier once more.

'_Hmmm… Loyal, true, caring… a leader, huh? Qualities of a true Gryffindor, but what's this?' _The hat whispered softly. Gaara grit his teeth, hoping to keep the barrier up as the tanuki beat savagely against it. The hat sifted through Gaara's memories which he had left slightly unguarded due to the fact that he was attempting to subdue the tanuki who wanted to lash out at the hat and its intrusion.

'_Betrayal of loved ones, breeding hate, and, oh dear….' _The hat had stumbled upon the bloody memories of old.

'_Murder of many! The killing of the innocent? Bloodthirsty madness and havoc made up all of your childhood. My dear boy you are worse than many who have passed through these great halls, but yet again what do I see here? A change of heart and a chance to renew your life, all because of a boy. Your first friend I see… After that you have modeled your principles after his, putting others before you. You are a revered leader and now loved by many. I see that you are still unstable, and hiding something within the recesses of your matured mind. Due to your past, you would make a wonderful addition to Slytherin, but I think it's better for you to be in….'_

* * *

><p>"<em>Gryyffinnddor!<em>" the hat's brim split open as it yelled out its decision. The hall erupted into cheers, most of them coming from a table full of children with black robes and red emblems. Gaara touched his scar softly and winced, the barrages of the tanuki had caused a rather bad headache.

_Do you miss the old days, brat?_ The tanuki hissed softly. Gaara scowled as he removed himself from the accursed stool and trudged over to the table the elderly witch pointed to. Gaara walked over to the emptier, more vacant part of the long table and set himself down. Upon sitting he found himself facing two giggling girls. Gaara sighed morosely. He looked silently at his golden plate and watched, amused, as the other plates became laden with all types of food. Gaara's stomach growled and he sniffed the air cautiously, attempting to detect any type of poison. Tentatively, he reached over and scooped a handful of lumpy potatoes onto his plate along with some fishy smelling stew.

"You like bouillabaisse?" Gaara looked up to find himself looking at a girl with caramel bushy hair, brown eager eyes, and a small button-ish nose. Her small pink mouth was turned in a smile. Gaara smiled, unsure, and held out a large pale hand for her to shake. She shook it but gasped at the strength by which he grasped hers. Sensing her discomfort, Gaara loosened his grip. She smiled hesitantly and let go of his hand.

"I'm Hermione Granger. You're Sabaku right?" she said. Gaara frowned slightly.

"It's Gaara, _not_ Sabaku. Sabaku is my surname." He replied slowly. Honestly, he was getting quite irritated of these people's mispronunciations.

"Oh… I'm sorry."

"It's fine… no one's got it right, yet." Gaara waved the apology away. He pointed at the stew and asked, "What's bouillabaisse?"

"It's a seafood soup made of different types of fish and other shellfish. It 's a French dish." Hermione stated. Gaara nodded coolly and examined the fishy stew. He scooped a small amount of it and tasted it. He nodded and scooped up some more.

"You've never had bouillabaisse before?" inquired the brunette. Gaara shook his head, completely focused on the intent of devouring the stew that sat before him.

"Halloh." Gaara looked up, infuriated at the disruption of his eating time, and found himself looking at a boy with unruly jet black hair and green emerald eyes. His locks parted to reveal a lightning-shaped scar. Gaara winced as he felt a searing stab at Shunkaku's barrier. He grasped his head tightly and hissed in pain, his hand gripped his spoon tightly. After a few minutes, Gaara let out a sigh of relief. He wiped his eyes quickly and looked back up at the surprised boy and Hermione.

"Blimey, are you all right?" he asked worriedly and reached out a hand to him. Gaara raised a hand and nodded. The boy stepped back, unsure, and put his hands in his robes. He sat down next to Hermione and smiled.

"The name's Harry. Harry Potter." The boy said. Gaara nodded.

"I'm sure you must have heard of Harry." Hermione said. Gaara knitted his brow and shook his head. Hermione's mouth opened slightly.

"What—" she began but Harry held a hand up.

"It doesn't matter." Harry said firmly. Hermione nodded and returned her attention back to the somber redhead.

"Are you a Pureblood?" she asked. Gaara thought about it for a second. His family was and has been from a line of Kages. The Sabaku name was influential and feared. He was practically of royal blood in Suna.

_Don't forget the fact that you're the host to a great, awesome, and powerful demon. _The tanuki sneered. Gaara rolled his eyes but then faced the pair. He nodded. Harry nodded thoughtfully.

"That's nice." Hermione remarked. "I'm just a Muggle-born"

"What's that?" Gaara asked. Hermione gaped at him.

"It means that you're a wizard/witch with Muggle or non-magical parents. I thought you knew that." Hermione stated matter-of-factly. Harry frowned a bit and remarked, "I had no idea what Muggles or what a muggle-born was when _I _first came here, Hermione."

"_But_ he's a Pureblood." Argued the bushy -haired witch. Gaara finished his stew and interrupted the pair's bickering.

"I'm not from this place, so I am not accustomed to your terms." Gaara explained. Both let out small 'oh's and settled back into their seats.

"Well that explains it." Harry said simply. Hermione creased her brows but nodded. Harry opened his mouth, though, and asked,

"So how are you able to control sand?"

* * *

><p>After spending about half of dinnertime trying to explain the concept of chakra to Hermione and Harry, Gaara was pleased when Harry finally understood the concept and dinner was over. He got up and followed Hermione and Harry to the Gryffindor 'common room'. As he slouched after them, Gaara found that the two stopped as they encountered a sullen orange-haired boy whose complexion was speckled with many freckles. He glared at Harry but frowned upon seeing the tall and gaunt redhead standing behind the two.<p>

"Ron." Remarked Harry coldly. The boy named Ron merely turned and trudged up the steps followed by another Gryffindor child. Harry scowled and waited for the lanky redhead to disappear before making his way up the stairs. A few other students wearing blac and yellow passed Harry and hissed at him. Some insulted him or made rude comments. Gaara watched, slightly enraged, and wondered why Harry was being picked on. Gaara leaned down and whispered silently to Hermione.

"Why are all these people making fun of Harry?" his hot breath tickled her ear causing Hermione to redden and stumble on a step.

"Oh, he's the fourth champion for the Triwizard tournament and he's not supposed to be. He wasn't supposed to enter but we believe that someone else put his name in the goblet. However, some like the Hufflepuffs and Ron, don't believe Harry and think that he's doing this to become more famous and stuff." Hermione whispered. She turned her head and gasped as she noticed how close his lips were to hers.

"U-umm… t-the c-common r-room's this way.." she stammered. Gaara looked at her bemused but shrugged. He straightened his posture and followed the blushing girl towards a portrait of an enormous woman who asked for a password. Gaara smiled softly to himself as Hermione hurriedly said the password.

"Maybe this little adventure may prove to be worthwhile." He mused silently to himself as he clambered after Hermione into the portrait hole.

**A/N: Please review and point out any area(s) that may have been confusing. Oh and btw... The champions have already been chosen at this point. Thank you and, again, please _review!_**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thank you for your reviews and thank you for your help in pointing out my mistakes. Yes, I do know that Gaara has no surname and his title is 'of the desert', but I did however use that as a surname instead. I agree that Gaara may have been a bit OOC but I'll try my best to keep him in character. And finally _ooohhhh_ a dreadful mistake that I am _so_ glad someone pointed out. It's Shukaku _not_ Shunkaku. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**SandStorms**

**Chapter Four**

_Gaara. Gaara. Gaara. Gaara._ Gaara opened his eyes abruptly and found himself looking straight into eager chocolate ones. Hermione reddened and slowly backed away from the pale redhead but tripped over a stack of books. She waved her arms furiously and braced herself for impact. Instead, she found herself dangling a few inches from the floor, sand holding her securely around the middle. She stood up cautiously and smiled awkwardly at Gaara. Gaara raised a non-existent brow and slowly raised himself from the pile of cushions he bunched up together the night before. Hermione looked at him curiously and took in his relaxed and disheveled look. He pulled down his loose-fitting black t-shirt and stretched. His shirt came up again, revealing a toned abdomen. Hermione reddened and chose to look around the empty common room instead. Stacks of schoolbooks littered the area around the pile of cushions. Most were cracked open or had pieces of paper sticking out of them.

"You were here all night?" Hermione asked. Gaara put his hands in his pockets and nodded. Hermione's eyes widened slightly.

"Really? Why?" she asked curiously. Gaara shrugged and answered, "I can't sleep."

"Oh… I'm sorry." Hermione said. Gaara bent over to pick up the scattered books and asked, "What for?"

"Hmm?"

"Why do you apologize?"Gaara asked as he set the books down upon the table. His sand shot out and moved all the cushions back into the couches, back to their proper places.

"Nothing. It's just— Never mind." Hermione stammered. Gaara focused on her for a second before turning around and walking towards the boy's dormitory.

"Um, it's time for breakfast… Would you like to come down with me?" Hermione asked. Gaara turned and shrugged.

"Sure. Let me just get ready." Gaara said.

"We don't have classes today, it's Saturday." Hermione noted. Gaara nodded in understanding.

"Thank you for telling me, but I still need to change." Gaara reminded her and tugged lightly on the collar of his shirt.

"Sorry…" Hermione mumbled. Gaara smirked lightly and walked up the boy's dormitory stairs.

* * *

><p>"So what do you like to do for fun?" asked Hermione as she and the somber redhead made their way down the shifting stairs. Gaara paused as a stair moved and continued on his way down, only to be yanked to the side by Hermione. He looked at her questioningly.<p>

"This way." She jerked her thumb at another staircase and Gaara nodded. "So, again, umm what do you like to do… for fun?"

Gaara made his way down the stone steps and shrugged.

"I don't know." He replied indifferently.

"What do you mean you don't know? Surely, you must enjoy doing something." Asked Hermione. Gaara reflected silently on the question. He never really did anything for fun. Recently, his days had been filled with endless amounts of paperwork and speeches and other Kage duties.

_You found killing fun…._ Remarked Shukaku. Gaara frowned and replied, _'That was a thing of the past…'_

The tanuki snorted rather loudly. _Sure, kid. I doubt that you don't find killing fun. Remember, murder and violence defines _you_. _You _are bloodthirsty._

Gaara shook his head.

"No." he said firmly, out loud. Hermione looked at him, surprised, then asked, "Wow, really?"

Gaara looked at her, perplexed. He was getting tired of letting the girl ask questions. He didn't want to humor her questions anymore plus the whole questioning thing was making his importunate migraine worse. They walked into the barely filled Great Hall together and made their way to the sparsely filled Gryffindor Table. Gaara sat down and put his head on his hands. Breathing heavily, Gaara shut his eyes and tried to focus. His mind was swimming and even Shukaku felt the sharp pangs of pain. Gaara looked up, agitated, when he felt someone tap him. He glanced upwards and found himself looking into blue eyes and a freckled complexion. Gaara sighed and propped his head up on his hand.

"Hello." The boy greeted, his fiery reddish orange hair was ruffled, his face was splotched with freckles, and he looked at Gaara curiously while holding out a large hand. "The name's Ron Weasley, mate."

Gaara nodded and grasped the hand held out firmly. Ron winced for a second but shook the domineering redhead's hand. Ron let go and cradled his hand unconsciously.

"So, I've never seen you around before…. What brings you to Hogwarts?" asked Ron. Gaara shrugged and tugged on the sleeves of his polo before letting out a slight yawn.

"Oh…" Ron shifted on his feet uncomfortably until a girl with shimmering silvery waist-length blonde hair and dazzling blue eyes pranced over towards the three. She giggled slightly and tapped the stoic redhead lightly on the shoulder.

"'ello. I was wondering if you were going to eat ze chocolatine?" she asked, batting her long eyelashes. Gaara tilted his head slightly and pointed hesitantly at the plate of chocolate-filled pastries. The blonde nodded and Gaara picked up the large plate. He handed it to the silvery haired female and as she grasped the sides of the large plate, Gaara slowly let go.

"Oof! Zis plate is very 'eavy. In Beauxbaton, our plates ar' made of zis pure crystal and it iz not so 'eavy." Complained the girl. Gaara stood up and took the plate from her long slender hands. The girl gave him a simpering look.

"Where are you sitting?" inquired Gaara. The girl smiled and pointed towards the Ravenclaw (was, it?) table. Gaara nodded and followed the girl to the table where she sat. Her companions—mostly the females—giggled, while the fair looking males rolled their eyes and shot Gaara spiteful looks. Gaara set the plate down amongst the throng of ogling girls and began the walk back to the Gryffindor table when, out of nowhere, a vice-like grip wrapped around his upper arm. Immediately, tendrils of sand lashed out and wrapped itself around the unknown individual's hand. A squeak followed by several yells erupted from the bystanders. Gaara turned slowly to face a frightened silvery blonde haired beauty. The sand slowly returned back into his pockets.

"I'm very sorry… Please do not grab me like that." Gaara warned. The female nodded.

"I was just trying to thank you." She replied fearfully. Gaara nodded in understanding.

"Thank you, by ze way. My name is Fleur Delacour. I am ze champion for ze Beauxbaton's." she smiled triumphantly. Gaara nodded curtly.

"I am Sabaku No Gaara." He in-turn replied. Fleur giggled and shot him a glowing look. Gaara creased his brows lightly. This girl gave off an aura, a certain feeling that had Gaara feeling hot and bothered.

_She's hot_, remarked Shukaku. Gaara rolled his eyes at the demon. _"Be quiet."_

Fleur smiled before she sauntered over towards her laughing companions. Gaara turned on his heels and walked back towards Hermione and Ron. Both had rather sullen looks etched onto their faces. Upon sitting, both exploded with complaints and questions. The complaints coming from Hermione and the questions from Ron.

"She _clearly_ had a plate-full of chocolatines on her table!"

"What was she like? Blimey, I bet she's part Veela!"

"…stupid little… Prancing over here and daring to flash her charms at Gaara _which _he _clearly_ didn't fall for, unlike you, _Ronald. _And _clearly_ she's not a Veela!"

"What's _your _deal, Hermione? Gaara, I bet you think she's a rather pretty girl—"

"Of course he _didn't_! She's al looks but no brain or personality. He's got more brains than some who actually fall for that shallow flirting—"

"How would you know how smart he is?"

"He was reading and studying _all_ night!" Hermione replied smugly. Gaara sighed and clasped his hands together. The pair continued their bickering until the arrival of an untidy haired individual with emerald eyes procured silence from the two. Ron reddened slightly and cast Harry a hateful look, Harry likewise. Ron nodded at Gaara.

"Speak to you later, mate." Ron mumbled before leaving the area. Gaara exhaled and thanked Kami for the silence. Harry plopped himself down and proceeded to attack his toast and eggs. Gaara watched in slight disgust as Harry shoved food into his mouth. Hermione had put on a grim face as her eyes flicked between Ron and Harry. Gaara rested his face on his hand and decided that whatever issue this trio was going through didn't concern him. Fixing his eyes on the table, Gaara inhaled sharply and tugged on the collar of his polo.

_Hot and bothered aren't we, Kazekage-sama?_ Jeered Shukaku. Gaara hissed and stood up abruptly. The heat coupled with the headache he was experiencing was really getting to be _too_ much. Gaara mused silently to himself about how a walk outside would do him some good. Completely resolved to leave the Hall, Gaara headed out of the hall ignoring Harry's curious glance and Hermione's pestering questions.

* * *

><p>Gaara shivered slightly as he stepped out from the warm castle and out into the biting cold. The sky was glum and no one was out due to the fact that it was a weekend and it was quite early in the morning. Gaara rubbed his arms lightly as he surveyed the barren area. Sighing with relief, Gaara strode towards a tree near the dark lake and plopped himself down on the damp grass. Closing his eyes, Gaara began the rather tedious process of reinforcing Shukaku's barriers. The beast smashed the weakening barriers repeatedly, much to Gaara's annoyance.<p>

'_Will you stop that?'_ hissed Gaara. The tanuki sneered and let out a jeering laugh. Gaara pinched the bridge of his nose. Recalling the previous day's events, Gaara frowned at the carelessness in which he easily distributed information.

_You've been poisoned, brat. That old geezer put something in the water he gave you at the hospital. I was trying to warn you, but I couldn't talk to you at that time._ The tanuki reasoned. Gaara frowned and growled in anger as he realized that the stupid beast was correct in his observations. Clasping his hands together and closing his eyes, Gaara sought out the familiar presence of the Professor amidst the large castle. Finding the old man pacing a room, the redhead moved his hands in a fast manner, forming signs.

* * *

><p>Albus Dumbledore paced his office hurriedly. He was getting quite stressed especially with this blasted affair involving Harry Potter as an under-aged <em>Fourth<em> champion. Albus also noted that it was about time to check on the young intriguing man called Gaara. Almost as if on cue, the window of Albus's office opened and a massive amount of sand filtered through. The sand settled in front of Albus, continuously shifting and gathering to form a tall daunting figure with hair as red as blood. Albus smiled cheerily.

"Hello Mr. Sabaku, what brings you to my office at this time? Oh, and may I carefully suggest using the door next time? The password is Lemon Drops." Dumbledore said. Gaara took no note of the comment and bore his eyes at the old man's. Dumbledore flinched slightly at the intensity of the young man's gaze.

"Why did you poison me?" Gaara asked, his voice seething. Dumbledore raised an eyebrow at the accusation.

"I beg your pardon?" Dumbledore asked, clearly confused. Gaara snarled softly before uttering once more, "At the hospital… you put something in the water you gave me."

Dumbledore's eyebrows creased. How was this boy able to detect the Veritaserum in the water?

"It's called Veritaserum and it's not a poison. It was a safety measure that I needed to take so that you may _not_, under _any_ circumstances, lie to me about your identity. You could have been a killer or a threat sent by Lord Voldemort." Dumbledore explained. Gaara opened his mouth to argue but the way Dumbledore reasoned it out had in-fact made sense. He would, if given the resources, interrogate any intruder who would step into Suna, and Dumbledore was like him, watching out for the welfare of the students. Gaara frowned and nodded.

"But why was I willingly revealing information yesterday?" Gaara asked. Albus gave him a look and then clucked.

"My dear boy, I'm afraid the potion might have had different effects on you judging from the fact that you're not from this world. I'll have Professor Snape take a look later." Dumbledore chuckled. Gaara nodded and made a move to leave but the Professor raised a hand.

"Before you go, I would like to ask a favor from you and perhaps acquire your services…" the Professor said with much seriousness. Gaara raised a non-existent brow. Hoping for a mission or to do something that does not involve petty little questions, Gaara inclined his head and turned.

"What do you need me to do?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Please Read and Review. Oh and if you have ideas for a pairing or if you want no pairing, please post it with your review and I'll gladly take it into consideration. :D**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Thank you for all the reviews and input for this story. I hope you enjoy this chapter and once again I do hope that you'll point out any of my mistakes. Thank You. Oh, and I'd like to thank my dear beta, Faroush. Thanks for spotting the mistakes that have escaped my tired bleary eyes.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or the Harry Potter series. (I do own shirts about them, though.)**

* * *

><p><strong>SandStorms<strong>

**Chapter Five**

* * *

><p>"You want <em>me<em> to keep an eye on Potter?" Gaara asked, slight disbelief tainting his usual monotone voice. The old wizard looked at him expectantly. Gaara cast a dark look at the headmaster.

"Yes, I believe you are quite capable of taking on this task, judging from your experience, lethality, power, and such." Dumbledore replied simply. Gaara scowled.

"Might I remind you, that although I am quite capable of watching _that_ boy I have never encountered a threat or any enemy in this world? This particular evidence proves my inexperience to protect him, coupled with the fact that I ended up in this blasted world because one of your people cursed me. Put me in my environment and I can protect Potter, but here? I doubt it." Gaara stated. Dumbledore pushed the tips of his fingers together before saying, "I just need you to keep an eye on him, undercover. Nothing serious will happen and if it does I shall step in, you have my word on that."

Gaara glowered at the professor.

"How am I supposed to rely on the words of a man who, sneakily, administered a potion to me when I was impaired, just to get information?" Gaara seethed. One of the moving portraits hissed and shouted, "Respect your elders, boy!"

"It was a safety precaution." Dumbledore replied. Gaara let out a short laugh.

"_Safety_ _precaution_? Instead of doing what you did, I would have asked for the person to take the potion instead of slipping it in. If the person agreed, he had nothing to hide, and if refused then there is something being kept." Gaara chided. Dumbledore frowned. Gaara turned slightly to watch the phoenix. A dark silence blanketed the headmaster's office.

"You must be thinking that I have no right to talk to an elder in that way." Gaara said quietly. "But I'll have you know that in my country you speak your mind against the wrong of the elders, even if it means being scolded or being told that you're just a child. If you step aside and let them do the wrong thing, something very bad and regretful is going to happen. Don't get me wrong, I respect my elders, just not some of the wrongful acts they commit."

Dumbledore watched the boy in silence. He really was quite intriguing. His demeanor and the urgency in which he spoke reflected the true qualities of a leader. After a lengthy silence, Gaara sighed.

"I'll do it; I'll watch the Potter boy." Gaara stated as he stood up from the chair he sat in. Dumbledore beamed at him and opened his mouth to utter thank you, but Gaara held up a hand.

"Don't think I'm doing this for you though." Gaara said sternly before his form slowly dissipated into streams of sand, leaving through the open window. Dumbledore sighed tiredly. Had the course of action he had taken regarding the Veritaserum been correct? Dumbledore looked dolefully at the portraits. The portraits of the past headmasters all seemed to be asleep or were feigning sleep. Dumbledore sighed and made his way over to the glowing basin he kept in the corner. Drawing his wand and putting it near his temple, Albus drew out a long silvery strand of what looked like ghostly hair. He plopped it in the basin and watched as it shifted and the familiar piercing teal eyes of a redhead swam into view. He thought about the boy's strange personality and how formidable an enemy he'd make.

"I wonder what secrets you keep, Gaara."

* * *

><p>"Unbelievable! Look at what the old bat has written about me!" Harry shouted in frustration as he waved a nearly crumpled newspaper in front of Gaara. Gaara sighed morosely and put down his wand and the book of charms he had been practicing from. Picking up the paper, Gaara read the article. Harry watched angrily as Gaara folded the paper calmly. He sat up on the lavish couch and propped his hands on his knees. He looked up at the angry Potter through the wisps of his red bangs, teal eyes questioning.<p>

"Is is true?" Gaara asked calmly. Harry reddened.

"Of course not!" he sputtered, his complexion matching Gaara's hair. Gaara frowned and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Then why are you so angry?"

Harry shot him a glaring look.

"Because—uh… Because she's a liar!" he yelled, getting the attention of other individuals in the quiet Gryffindor Common Room. Gaara shrugged and picked up his wand once more.

"Well I wouldn't know if she was lying, since I've only just met you," Gaara said airily as he waved his wand around, cushions floating slowly around him. Harry watched the cushions distractedly before turning his attention back to the redhead.

"But if I were you," Gaara looked into angry emerald eyes. "I would keep my cool and explain. Blowing up like this isn't going to make anything any better."

"But they don't listen! They reckon I'm doing this to get attention!" Harry yelled.

"Are you?" Gaara asked with all seriousness. Harry shook his head. Gaara closed his eyes.

"Well, you don't need to listen to them. Just don't and carry on as usual." Gaara remarked as he stood up and picked up his books, the cushions still floating lazily as he orchestrated their movements with his wand.

"You don't get it do you? You don't know what it's like for people to speak terribly about you behind your back and to your face at times! People don't call you names! You're Mr. Handsome! You've never been in a situation like this, so your advice probably won't work!" Harry yelled hotly. Gaara turned slightly and Harry looked angrily at him, the cushions all suddenly dropping. Before Harry could even blink, he found himself being hoisted by his shirt collar into the air and looking into once-teal eyes now turned metallic gold. The pupils were replaced by a four-pronged star.

"In all fairness, I _do_ understand, and trust me… what you're dealing with right now is _nothing_." Gaara seethed, before dropping Potter on to the Common Room carpet. His eyes, which had now regained their teal hue, regarded Harry coldly as Gaara stared him down. Harry grit his teeth in anger and watched in silent frustration as Gaara climbed up into the boy's dormitory. Several Gryffindor onlookers looked around nervously and resumed the work they had been doing before. Fred and George had returned their attention back to a slightly concealed piece of parchment and Neville had returned to his book on Herbology. Harry stood up and brushed away the lint on his jeans angrily. After cooling down for a few minutes, Harry thought rather regretfully about the way he had yelled at Gaara. Gaara had only been meaning to offer advice and Harry had lashed out against him. Harry shuddered as he remembered the way the boy's eyes had changed into hateful, soulless things. Harry pondered quietly at the redhead's statement. What had he meant by it? Had he gone through something worse than Harry? In all honesty, Harry thought that nothing could possibly get worse than to have your parents killed by an evil Dark Wizard that threatens to kill you. But then again, Gaara wasn't from this world and perhaps there were other sorrows and misfortunes much bigger than Harry Potter's. Resolving to apologize, Harry picked up the newspaper, threw it in the fire and made his way up the stairs to the Boy's Dormitory.

* * *

><p>"I hate talking to you in that cloak, I never know if I'm looking at you or not." Grumbled Hermione. The cold November air nipped lightly on their noses and Hermione found herself walking hurriedly to Honeydukes. A few minutes later, they exited the packed shop, carrying large cream-filled chocolates.<p>

"People keep looking at _me_ now." Hermione complained. Harry smiled lightly as he chewed on the chocolate beneath his cloak. Completely preoccupied with devouring his chocolate, Harry found himself slamming into Hermione's back as she stopped abruptly. Harry mumbled a slight 'ow' before he craned his neck to see what Hermione was gawking at. It didn't take long to find the source of Hermione's sudden stop, for bright crimson hair didn't exactly blend in with anything. Standing in the middle of the square was none other than Sabaku no Gaara. He seemed to be in deep conversation with a girl Harry recognized as Cho Chang. Harry felt a sharp pang echo in his chest as he watched Cho giggle at something Gaara said. The pair walked quietly towards Honeydukes. As they passed Hermione and the invisible Harry, Cho waved to Hermione and Gaara acknowledged her with a curt nod. Harry slowly stepped away from the door way but stopped when he heard Gaara say something.

"Hello, Potter." Gaara murmured slightly before entering the shop. Harry Potter was shocked. How in the world was he able to see him? He nudged Hermione softly and the two began to trek towards The Three Broomsticks.

"What was he doing with Cho?" Hermione hissed, surprisingly angry. Harry was surprised at the way Hermione was acting regarding the fact that Gaara was in the company of Cho.

"I don't know." Harry replied.

"Isn't she with Diggory?" Hermione asked as she furiously walked towards the pub. Harry shrugged but wondered also if Diggory knew who his girlfriend was with. Harry stopped in his tracks as realization hit him like a full blown train.

"You've taken a fancy to him, haven't you?" Harry asked, wide-eyed.

"What? Diggory? No!" Hermione replied. Harry smirked before saying, "Not him. _Gaara_."

"What? No! Of course not! Of all people…" Hermione sputtered. Harry smiled. His friend's actions and manner of speaking proved otherwise. Hermione Granger had taken a shine to Sabaku no Gaara. It pleased Harry that his rather bookish friend actually could act like a girl. Her last crush that he could remember had been Gilderoy Lockhart, who had turned out to be a complete phony.

"'mione likes Gaara." Harry sang. Hermione huffed and pulled her jacket around her.

"I do not!" she said hotly. Harry only laughed in reply as he followed her into the crowded Three Broomsticks.

* * *

><p>Harry looked hastily around the Gryffindor Common Room before shrugging off the Invisibility Cloak. He plopped himself down in an armchair in front of the fireplace and waited. Harry looked around the semi-dark room quietly and frowned as his gaze landed on the POTTER STINKS badges which now read POTTER REALLY STINKS. Turning around to face the fireplace, Harry jumped as he found Sirius's head sitting amongst the glowing embers.<p>

"Sirius – how're you doing?" he whispered excitedly as he jumped down from the chair and neared the fireplace. His godfather's appearance had changed since their last meeting. The sunken face with stringy matted hair was replaced with a rather fuller face. His hair was still long but a bit neater. His godfather looked younger and resembled the Sirius of long ago, except for his eyes. His eyes still retained the dead look from his years in Azkaban.

"Never mind me, how are you?" Sirius asked rather seriously.

"I'm—" Harry attempted to say "fine" for a second there, but he just couldn't. The past few days had been really too much to deal with and before he could stop himself, Harry talked about all that had transpired in the last few weeks—about how no one cared to believe that he hadn't entered the tournament of his own free will, how Rita Skeeter had lied about him in the Daily Prophet, how he couldn't walk down the hallway without being sneered at—and of Ron. How Ron refused to believe him, about Ron's anger and his jealousy…

"…and now Hagrid's just shown me what's coming in the first task, and it's dragons, Sirius! I'm a goner," he finished desperately.

Sirius looked at him, eyes full of concern, and said, "Dragons we can deal with, Harry, but we'll get to that in a minute—I haven't got long here…" Sirius looked behind him and Harry urged him to continue.

"Karkaroff," said Sirius. "Harry, he was a Death Eater. You know what Death Eaters are, don't you?"

"Yes - he - what?"

"He was caught, he was in Azkaban with me, but he got released. I'd bet everything that's why Dumbledore wanted an Auror at Hogwarts this year – to keep an eye on him. Moody caught Karkaroff. Put him into Azkaban in the first place."

Harry watched in shock as Sirius warned him about Karkaroff.

"Okay," said Harry slowly. "But . . . are you saying Karkaroff put my name in the goblet? Because if he did, he's a really good actor. He seemed furious about it. He wanted to stop me from competing."

"We know he's a good actor, he got the Ministry to release him, didn't he?" said Sirius. Harry bit his lip and remembered Gaara.

"Sirius, I have to tell you something." Harry said quietly. Sirius nodded.

"Go on, Harry. Quickly now, though. I reckon the owners of this home may be back soon." Harry nodded and opened his mouth.

"There's this boy, his name is Sabaku no Gaara. He's polite and he's in my house, but I reckon he's hiding something, Sirius." Harry looked up worriedly. Sirius creased his brows.

"Sabaku—"

"It's Gaara, his name is Gaara." Harry corrected, causing Sirius to raise an eyebrow.

"Okay… So, Gaara, You've never spoken of him before and I've never heard of anyone with his name. How do you know him?" Sirius said.

"He just arrived in the middle of this year. They sorted him into Gryffindor this year, but Sirius," Harry said. "He can do scary things Sirius."

Harry then began to speak about how Gaara had the ability to perform wandless and wordless magic, how he could manipulate sand, how no one knew anything about him, how monotone and dangerously calm he was and then how his temper and mood shifted dangerously—and about Hermione's crush on him and his following of girls.

"…and when he lost his temper with me, his eyes changed color to gold and then they were gone. Something about him scares me a little, Sirius." Harry said honestly. Sirius frowned.

"Listen Harry, I want you to be careful around him. Judging from your description, he's a very dangerous person. I want you to tell Dumbledore about him and—"

But Harry held up a hand to silence his godfather, his heart pounding as though it would burst. He could hear footsteps coming down the spiral staircase behind him.

"Go!" he hissed at Sirius. "Go! There's someone coming!"

Harry scrambled to his feet, hiding the fire - if someone saw Sirius's face within the walls of Hogwarts, they would raise an almighty uproar - the Ministry would get involved - he, Harry, would be questioned about Sirius's whereabouts - Harry heard a tiny pop in the fire behind him and knew Sirius was gone. He watched the bottom of the spiral staircase. Who had decided to go for a stroll at one o'clock in the morning, and stopped Sirius from telling him how to get past a dragon?

It was Ron. Dressed in his maroon paisley pajamas, Ron stopped dead facing Harry across the room, and looked around.

"Who were you talking to?" he asked. Harry shot a glaring look at Ron.

"No one." He snarled. Ron started but then shrugged.

"I was just wondering—nothing I'm going back to bed." Ron broke off.

"Just thought you'd come nosing around, huh?" Harry asked angrily.

Ron reddened and sputtered, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have disturbed you. I'll leave you in peace now to go practice for your next interview."

Harry seized one of the glowing POTTER REALLY STINKS BADGES from the table and chucked it with all his strength at Ron. It hit Ron squarely on the forehead and bounced off.

"There you go something for you to wear. I reckon you might even get a scar, if you're lucky… Isn't that what _you_want?"

Harry then stood up and strode across the room; he walked past Ron who stood there dumbly. Fuming, Harry went upstairs into the dormitory and plopped himself on his bed. For some reason, Harry Potter had lost the company of two redheads in just one day.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Please read and review and feel free to make corrections, suggestions, etc.**


	6. Chapter 6

SandStorms 6

**A/N: Well, this took forever. All the updates should be released in their due time. I just thought of this as a belated Christmas present. I apologize for the wait. I had recently reformatted my computer and thus, I lost all my files.**

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter and Naruto are not mine. They are owned by their respective authors.**

The citizens of Sunagakure were in a flurry. Rumors spread like wildfire about the much revered Kazekage's sudden disappearance. The rumors ranged from elopement to a secret treaty of other nations to assassinate the Sand's Kage. Such rumors continued to spread due to the Council members' avoidance of the question and the Kage's family's hesitancy to provide an answer. If it were up to the Kage's siblings, Kankuro and Temari, they would have told the citizens the current status of their Kage. However, the pair was as clueless-and hysterical- as the rest of the village. The Kazekage had simply disappeared without a trace. Such a thing struck fear into the hearts of the people. Not only because their Kage had disappeared, but because their Kage's mysterious disappearance could only point to a lethal enemy. An enemy that could take down the Sand's most feared warrior and the host for the bloodthirsty demon, Shukaku.

"Send out all of our ninjas!" an individual with tousled brown hair and a tan complexion smeared with purple paint yelled. He slammed a large hand upon the worn round table, causing a multitude of heavily-robed old men to jump.  
>"Send out the troops!" He yelled brashly. The woman next to him, a lady standing at around 5'11 with pursed red lips and hair that looked like a four-leafed clover, clicked her tongue.<p>

"Kankuro, I also want to find Gaara but we have no leads." She replied in exasperation to the brunette. Kankuro turned and stared at her, hurt clouding his deep brown eyes.  
>"Temari, this is Gaara we're talking about. Kami, he's been gone for nearly a month... This isn't normal." He replied, his voice breaking. Temari's stern expression softened. She didn't blame her brother's urgency to act but it was much too rash to be declaring war or sending troops to other villages at the moment. There were still no leads in regards to her brother's current whereabouts. This dilemma was the only thing keeping the Elders of the Village from deploying the necessary ninjas. Had it not been for the Elders, Baki, head of the war council, would have sent all the ninjas needed. Placing a hand on Kankuro's shoulder, she squeezed it and added in a soft voice, "We'll find him, though, Kankuro. We'll find him."<p>

* * *

><p>Harry was so close to choking. Choking with fear as he approached the tent's opening with trepidation. The crowd's roars and cheers as Krum fought the dragon were too much for him to handle. He rubbed his hands together and swallowed.<p>

"Stay calm, Harry. Just. Breathe." He whispered to himself. In his mind, Harry repeated the spell he had practiced with Hermione over and over again. Opening his emerald eyes, he gulped as his name was called. As soon as Harry stepped into the clearing, he was met with a mix of jeers and cheers. He saw the students of Hogwarts-a large majority of them- jeering and grasping banners with Cedric's name on them. Though, on the other hand, he saw Hermione and a few of his supporters cheering for him. However, he found it odd that the elusive redhead, Gaara, was nowhere to be found. After their little fight, he had not been able to speak with the redhead. The redhead managed to disappear whenever Harry tried to apologize. Occasionally, Harry would spot him in the company of Fleur Delacour or in the company of Victor Krum (something that Harry found very odd) but other than those few times, the redhead was nowhere to be found. Gaara's absence was also noted by Hermione who did not hesitate to ask Harry-in a slightly upset voice- why Gaara was no longer in their company. Harry could only shrug his shoulders as a response. He could not bring himself to tell her that the reason their newfound friend had disappeared was due to Harry's stupid comments. For some reason, talk about hate and being ostracized had really offended the redhead. Harry shook his head. This was not the time to think about the enigma. It was time for Harry to face the dragon.

* * *

><p>It had taken forever but Harry had succeeded. Succeeded in taking the golden egg from beneath the dragon's flanks. As he touched down on the ground, he saw the trainers rush immediately into the arena to subdue the dragon. Grinning Harry thrust the egg into the air, however, instead of the expected cheers, screams came. Harry whipped around, and in horror, saw the trainers flung backwards as the Horntail broke free of its entrapments. She turned to face Harry, her tail poised to strike. Harry blanched as the dragon charged towards him, its tail cutting through the air to land a blow on him. However, the fatal blow never came. The screaming audience had been hushed and so Harry opened one eye. The spikes of the dragon hung about a foot away from him. Looking around, he found the squirming dragon trapped in tiny bits of what looked like... Sand. Sand in England? Sand in Hogwarts that came not from the beach could only mean one thing. Gaara. Sure enough, Harry soon found him standing atop one of the rocks that littered the arena, his brow slightly furrowed as he stretched his hands out towards the dragon. Making a few unknown hand signs, the crowd gasped as the sand snaked around the dragon's form, creating a sort of sandy straitjacket.<p>

"Subdue him." Gaara commanded in a voice that brimmed with power and authority. The trainers complied and immediately rushed forward to subdue the dragon. Once the dragon was subdued, Gaara closed his fist and allowed the sand to retract back into the flask he always carried with him. The crowd was hushed, as was Ludo Bagman. Then, out of nowhere, the crowd burst into applause. Applause not at Harry, but at the mysterious individual called Sabaku No Gaara.

Harry glanced at the redhead but found to his dismay, the redhead having disappeared already. He looked around with the hope of being able to find the redhead but to no avail.

"Potter, right then, to the first aid tent." Professor McGonagall reminded him. Harry complied and strode into the tent. Madam Pomfrey met him by the tent, her face full of worry and disappointment. He smiled weakly at her which earned a disapproving shake of the head from her.

"My goodness!" she exclaimed in exasperation. "Of all the things to put as the first task! It _had _to be dragons. Next thing you know, they'll be sending you to slay dementors or something."

Harry could only grin weakly as Madam Pomfrey fussed over the dangers of the tournament ot the well-being of the students. She dabbed at his wounds as he fidgeted slightly, trying to speed up the process so that he could get his score. This only earned him another disapproving comment.

"Sit, Potter! In a moment, you can get your score." She chided him. Harry sighed and nodded. It was best to agree to what Madame Pomfrey ordered. As he sat there quietly, two people darted into the tent. Hermione—whom Harry was very glad to see—and Ron. Now, Ron was a different matter. Harry found the grin on his face slipping away as he regarded the Weasley.

"Harry, you did fantastic!" Hermione exclaimed squeakily, her face bearing the tracks of fingernails from having clutched it tightly due to fear. However, Harry paid her no heed. His eyes were focused at Ron who shifted uneasily.

"Harry." Harry raised an eyebrow as he continued to make eye contact with Ron. Ron shifted uneasily before looking straight at Harry.

"I reckon whoever put your name in the goblet was out to get you, mate." Ron stated. And with that statement, Harry knew their friendship had been restored.

"Took you bloody long enough." He replied gruffly before letting out a laugh. Though, he had not restored his friendship with Gaara, Harry was happier than ever now that his best friend was back at his side. He could care less about his scores at the current moment. Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger were a trio once more.

* * *

><p>The Gryffindor Common Room was in a jovial mood that night. Not only had Harry been the fastest Champion to retrieve the egg, their other housemate, Gaara, had demonstrated a quality that all Gryffindors were known for. Loyalty and bravery. Loyalty as a friend to Harry to protect him and bravery in subduing the dragon. So, in celebration, the Weasley twins had snuck some snacks up to the Common Room with the intent of throwing a party for the two. The party proved to be wonderful, though, Harry could not find Gaara. He frowned slightly but noted, with a hint of amusement, that Hermione was occasionally taking a look around the room, her eyes searching for a mysterious redhead. Sighing as she gave up, Harry watched as she packed her stuff and headed up to her dormitory to study. Harry shrugged and decided to search for Gaara another time, choosing instead to celebrate with his housemates.<p>

* * *

><p>A month had passed. Or was it two? Gaara had finally lost track of the days. He had no clue as to how long he had been stuck in that damnable place they referred to as 'Hogwarts'. Standing atop the Gryffindor Tower's roof, he did what he did best. Sabaku No Gaara sat down and brooded. He had no need for sleep and even if he did, the loud commotion of the Gryffindor party for Potter was too much for anyone to sleep. So, he instead spent his time brooding at the most discreet and unreachable places of Gaara. Sighing deeply, Gaara stood up and stared at the stars twinkling amidst the inky blackness of the sky. Though this new world held many changes for Gaara, the only thing that stayed the same was the sky. The sky that he looked longingly at was the same as the sky that he so lovingly stared at in Sunagakure. A depressing reminder of how much he missed his home. However, such thoughts were of no help to him at the moment. Gaara had promised Dumbledore that he would protect Harry throughout the duration of his stay and as a Kage, he would do well to abide by his word. And avoiding the Potter boy was no way for him to fulfill his promise. This thought, thus, prompted the stoic redhead to reenter the boy's dormitory. Jumping down from the steeple to the ledge by one of the tower windows, Gaara opened the window and stepped inside. If he had calculated properly, he would have ended up right in the dormitory and next to Thomas Dean's bed. If he had not, he would end up smack in the middle of the girl's dormitory. And judging from the large brown button eyes that stared in shock right back at him, Sabaku no Gaara had miscalculated. Miscalculated and ended up smack in the middle of the girl's dormitory staring at Hermione Granger.<p>

* * *

><p>"Erm, G-Gaara..." Hermione stammered as she clutched her plain robe around her thin frame. "W-what are you doing here?"<p>

Her deep eyes looked nervously at him, her hand coming up to tuck a stray curl behind her ear. Gaara, if it was possible, reddened and deadpanned the wall next to her head.

"I was on the roof and I thought this window led into the boy's dormitory." He explained. Though calm-sounding, Gaara's voice hid the feelings of awkwardness and embarrassment that raged inside of him. He swallowed. Not willing to prolong the awkwardness of the moment, Gaara bowed slightly and exited the dormitory as he speedily as he could, leaving the surprised girl to stand in the dormitory alone and contemplate on what just happened.

**A/N: Please read and review. Constructive criticism is accepted. If you like it, please inform me. Like yeah...**


End file.
